DUE: MONDAY MAY 13, 2013

As we have discussed in class, Elijah is surrounded by an aura of mystery: we know nothing of his parentage; his tribe of origin and birthplace are unknown (though he is identified as a “resident of Gilead”); we are ignorant about his early life and call to prophecy; he travels widely, performs miracles, and of greatest importance, defies a conventional death, ascending to heaven in a fiery chariot instead.

Elijah’s disciple, Elisha ben Shaphat, watches as is master ascends to heaven in a fiery chariot (II Kings 2).

Approximately four centuries after Elijah’s strange prophetic career came to a close, the prophet Malachi believed he would return to earth to fulfill another divine mission: “Behold, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of the Lord.  He shall reconcile parents with children, and children with their parents, so that, when I come, I do not strike the whole land with utter destruction” (Malachi 3:23-24).

Later on in rabbinic literature and folk legends, Elijah would take on a mythical role as the prophet who wanders the world generation after generation, protecting the weak and disadvantaged, humbling the arrogant who persecute the powerless.  Capable of any disguise, he travels unrecognized through crowds of people, mysteriously appearing when needed and then just as mysteriously disappearing, revealing his identity on rare occasions only.  It is fair to say that Elijah has captured the religious imagination of Jews as few other figures have.

The final project for 8th grade TaNaKh will focus on Elijah’s larger-than-life role in Jewish literature and liturgy.  Choose ONE of the following.  Please note the final project is in lieu of a final exam, and will count significantly toward your grade — along with other factors like participation, conduct, effort and attendance.  Here are your choices:

1.  Draw 3-4 pictures about Elijah, each telling a different story.  You may wish to draw upon the biblical texts or folk stories we have studied  (listed below) in creating your images.  At least one of your pictures should place the prophet in a modern context.  If Elijah came back today where would he go and whom would he visit?  What would he look like?  Each of your pictures should be accompanied by a paragraph or two explaining the setting and the reasons for depicting the prophet as you have.

OR

2. Create a folktale about Elijah.  While drawing upon the biblical texts and folk stories we studied in class for inspiration, your literary effort should be creative, and not a simple retelling of a traditional story.  I would encourage you to read Elie Wiesel’s powerful short story, An Evening Guest (copies will be available from Cassie Vichozsky as of 4/22, and will also be distributed at our next class), which places Elijah in a small Hungarian town in 1944 as a messenger sent to warn Jews about the Nazi death camps — it’s a great example of taking the traditional picture of Elijah . . . and then turning it inside out in a very compelling way.  Your folktale should be no shorter than 3 pages (typed, double-spaced, 12-font type).

OR 

3.  Research references to Elijah in the siddur and on religious occasions.  At what ceremonies and celebrations do we invoke his name?  Where in our liturgy does he appear?  When and how did Elijah become connected with these particular rituals/prayers?  Why do we mention his name at these specific times/places?  Your research paper should be 4 pages at a minimum (typed, double-spaced, 12-font type).

OR

4.  Elijah has also captured the religious imagination of Christians and Muslims.  Research how Elijah is depicted in Christian and Muslim Scripture and compare/contrast this with the ways in which Judaism describes his role.  What are the similarities and differences in the Jewish understanding of the prophet Elijah and the way the other Abrahamic faiths view him?  Your research paper should be 4 pages at a minimum (typed, double-spaced, 12-font type).

We have studied the following sources about Elijah:

First Kings, chapters 17, 18 & 19; Second Kings, chapter 2; Folk stories about Elijah (handout distributed in class from Peninah Schram’s Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another).

See also:

First Kings, chapter 21; Malachi, chapter 3; Elie Wiesel’s short story, An Evening Guest (available from Cassie as of 4/22).

8^th Grade TaNaKh

Review for Jonah Exam

Rabbi Lubliner

I. Structure of TaNakh

1.  Terms to Know: Torah/Nevi’im/Ketuvim; Nevi’im Rishonim, Nevi’im Ahronim; Trei      Asar; Hamesh Megillot (and what they are).

2. Be able to identify to what part of TaNaKh each biblical book belongs, e.g., Daniel belongs in Ketuvim, Jeremiah is part of Nevi’im etc.

II. Jonah’s background in TaNaKh & Midrash

1. Where else is Jonah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible?

a. II Kings 14:25

b. prophesies restoration of Israel’s territory in the north during reign of King                               Jeroboam II (late 9^th century C.E.)

c. father’s name is Amittai

d. Jonah is from Gath-hepher (ancient town in lowerGalilee,Israel’s north)

2. What does midrash teach us about Jonah’s origins?

a. son of the widow Zerephat, having succumbed to a terrible illness, the boy Jonah was believed to be dead – until he was revived by Elijah the prophet (see I Kings 17:17-24).         [Source: Jerusalem Talmud, Sukkah 55a]

b. Jonah grows up as a disciple of the prophet Elisha.

III. The Story of Jonah

A. Chapter I (Pshat questions)

1. What does God command Jonah to do?

2. What is so unique about this command?

3. How does Jonah respond?

4. Where is Jonah heading?

5. Where is Tarshish?

6. What does Jonah do onboard the ship?

7. What do the sailors do when the storm hits?

8. What does the captain ask and how does Jonah respond?

9. How do the sailors know that Jonah is responsible for the storm?

10. What does Jonah tell the sailors to do?

11. How do the sailors react?

12. When the storm calms down, what do the sailors do?  What is the irony                       of this part of the story?

B. Chapter I (Midrash questions)

1. Why does Jonah disobey God?

a.  He’s fearful that if the Ninevites repent and his threat of doom doesn’t come to pass, he’ll be ridiculed as a false prophet  (Tanhuma Vayikra 8).

b. Jonah was motivated by a desire to preserve Israel’s honor – he knew that the pagans of Nineveh– unlike Israel– would repent, and didn’t want Israelto look wicked by comparison (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 30b).

2. Jonah is so eager to leave that he charters the entire boat (Rashi to Jonah 1:3) – Know how the language of the text allows for this interpretation.

3. The sailors are very reluctant to cause Jonah’s death.  They submerge him in the water several times without letting go – each time he goes in, the waters become calm . . . until they pull him out of the sea.  Reluctantly, they come to the conclusion there’s nothing they can to save Jonah.

C. Chapter II (P’shat Questions)

1. What happens to Jonah in the sea?

2. How many days and nights does he remain in the belly of the fish?

3. What kind of fish swallowed Jonah?

4. What does Jonah do after spending a period of time in the great fish?

5. What is strange about Jonah’s prayer, what seems to be missing?

6. What does the fish eventually do?

D. Chapter II (Midrash Questions)

1. How does midrash explain why the masculine word for fish appears in 2:1, and the feminine form of the word in 2:2?  What does this midrash seek to teach us?

E. Chapter III (P’shat Questions)

1. How large is Nineveh?

2. What are the words of Jonah’s prophecy?

3. What is the reaction of the Ninevites?

4. What does the king decree?

5. What does the king hope will happen?

6. What element of parody appears in chapter 3?

7. How does God respond to the actions of the Ninevites?

F. Chapter III (Midrash Questions)

1.  Who was the king of Nineveh?  How does that help us understand his reaction to Jonah’s prophecy?

G. Chapter IV (P’shat Questions)

1. How does Jonah react to the Ninevites’ behavior?

2. What does Jonah say to God?

3. What are the similarities and differences between Exodus 34:6-7 and Jonah 4:2?

4. What does Jonah ask God to do?

5. How does God respond?

6. What makes Jonah glad and then unhappy?

7. What does God say to Jonah at the end of the book?

IV. Miscellaneous Thought Questions about Jonah

1.  Some commentators describe Jonah as a parody of prophecy. Name at least four aspects of the story that run counter to what we might otherwise expect from a book of biblical prophecy.

2.  Why do you think God chose Jonah to be a prophet?

3.  List three major themes of the book.  What makes the story of Jonah so relevant to our day and age?

4.  When do we read Jonah as a haftorah and why?

5.  Name two other reluctant prophets in TaNaKh – What are the similarities and differences between Jonah and these individuals?  Why might a person be reluctant to serve as a prophet – shouldn’t it be seen as a great honor?  How does the following insight of scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel help us understand the challenge of being a prophet?

“To be a prophet is both a distinction and an affliction.  The mission he performs is distasteful to him and repugnant to others; no reward is promised him and no reward could temper its bitterness.  The prophet bears scorn and reproach. The prophet is a lonely man. He alienates the wicked as well as the pious, the cynics as well as the believers, the priests and the princes, the judges and the false prophets.  But to be a prophet means to challenge and to defy and to cast out fear.

8^th Grade TaNaKh

Sefer Yonah

I.  Read Jonah 4:2 and compare with Exodus 34:6-7 (read both in Hebrew and English).  How are these passages alike and how are they different?

II. Take a look at Psalm 103:8-14 – How is it similar/dissimilar to the Jonah and Exodus passages?

III. Now compare Exodus 34:6-7 with the Thirteen Attributes of God’s compassion that are chanted on the Yamim Noraim and as part of the Torah service for festivals (You can find the passage in Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Holidays, p. 140).  What’s missing from the Siddur passage that is part of the Torah’s text?

IV.  What is the message of Exodus 34:6-7 and why do you think the rabbis changed it for use in the Siddur?  Would the texts of Jonah 4:2 and Psalm 103:8-14 agree more with the passage in the Siddur or the statement of Exodus?

שמות ל”ד:ד-ח
ד וַיִּפְסֹ֡ל שְׁנֵֽי־לֻחֹ֨ת אֲבָנִ֜ים כָּרִֽאשֹׁנִ֗ים וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם מֹשֶׁ֤ה בַבֹּ֨קֶר֙ וַיַּ֨עַל֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה ה’ אֹת֑וֹ וַיִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָד֔וֹ שְׁנֵ֖י לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִֽים: ה וַיֵּ֤רֶד ה’ בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם ה’: ו וַיַּֽעֲבֹ֨ר ה’ ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֘ וַיִּקְרָא֒ ה’ ׀ ה’ אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶֽאֱמֶֽת: ז נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֨סֶד֙ לָֽאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֹ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֣ד ׀ עֲוֹ֣ן אָב֗וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙ וְעַל־בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים: ח וַיְמַהֵ֖ר מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּקֹּ֥ד אַ֖רְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּֽחוּ:

So Moses carved two tablets of stone, like the first, and early in the morning he went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, taking the two stone tablets with him. The Lord came down in a cloud; He stood with him there and proclaimed the name Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed: “The Lord! The Lord! A God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.” Moses hastened to bow low to the ground in homage.

יונה ד’:א-ב

וַיֵּ֥רַע אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה רָעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיִּ֖חַר לֽוֹ: ב וַיִּתְפַּ֨לֵּל אֶל־ה’ וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָֽנָּ֤ה ה’ הֲלוֹא־זֶ֣ה דְבָרִ֗י עַד־הֱיוֹתִי֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִ֔י עַל־כֵּ֥ן קִדַּ֖מְתִּי לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ אֵֽל־חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֔וּם אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֨יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה:

This displeased Jonah greatly, and he was grieved. He prayed to the Lord, saying, “O Lord! Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I know that You are a compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment.

תהילים ק”ג:ח-י”ד

ח רַח֣וּם וְחַנּ֣וּן ה’ אֶ֖רֶךְ אַפַּ֣יִם וְרַב־חָֽסֶד: ט לֹֽא־לָנֶ֥צַח יָרִ֑יב וְלֹ֖א לְעוֹלָ֣ם יִטּֽוֹר: י לֹ֣א כַֽ֭חֲטָאֵינוּ עָ֣שָׂה לָ֑נוּ וְלֹ֥א כַֽ֝עֲוֹנֹתֵ֗ינוּ גָּ֘מַ֥ל עָלֵֽינוּ: יא כִּ֤י כִגְבֹ֣הַּ שָׁ֭מַיִם עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ גָּ֘בַ֥ר חַ֝סְדּ֗וֹ עַל־יְרֵאָֽיו: יב כִּרְחֹ֣ק מִ֭זְרָח מִֽמַּֽעֲרָ֑ב הִֽרְחִ֥יק מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ אֶת־פְּשָׁעֵֽינוּ: יג כְּרַחֵ֣ם אָ֭ב עַל־בָּנִ֑ים רִ֘חַ֥ם ה’ עַל־יְרֵאָֽיו: יד כִּ֣י ה֖וּא יָדַ֣ע יִצְרֵ֑נוּ זָ֝כ֗וּר כִּי־עָ֘פָ֥ר אֲנָֽחְנוּ:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. He will not contend forever, or nurse His anger for all time. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor has He treated us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who revere him. As east is far from west, so far has He removed our sins from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who revere Him. For He knows how we are formed; He is mindful that we are dust.
י”ג מדות

וַיַּעֲבֹר ה’ עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא: ה’ ה’ אֵל, רַחוּם, וְחַנּוּן, אֶֽרֶךְ אַפַּֽיִם, וְרַב חֶֽסֶד, וֶאֱמֶת, נֹצֵר חֶֽסֶד לָאֲלָפִים, נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן, וָפֶֽשַׁע, וְחַטָּאָה, וְנַקֵּה.

Thirteen Attributes of God’s compassion as found in the Siddur

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed: “The Lord! The Lord! A God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.

8th GRADE TANAKH HOMEWORK

DUE: DECEMBER 3, 2012

NAME: _________________________________________________________________

Read the following chapter from Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby Dick, (chapter 83).  Pay close attention to the underlined passages; they’ll help you answer the questions that follow. 

Reference was made to the historical story of Jonah and the whale in the preceding chapter. Now some Nantucketers rather distrust this historical story of Jonah and the whale. But then there were some skeptical Greeks and Romans, who, standing out from the orthodox pagans of their times, equally doubted the story of Hercules and the whale, and Arion and the dolphin; and yet their doubting those traditions did not make those traditions one whit the less facts, for all that.

One old Sag-Harbor whaleman’s chief reason for questioning the Hebrew story was this: He had one of those quaint old-fashioned Bibles, embellished with curious, unscientific plates; one of which represented Jonah’s whale with two spouts in his head- a peculiarity only true with respect to a species of the Leviathan (the Right Whale, and the varieties of that order), concerning which the fishermen have this saying, “A penny roll would choke him”; his swallow is so very small. But, to this, Bishop Jebb’s anticipative answer is ready. It is not necessary, hints the Bishop, that we consider Jonah as tombed in the whale’s belly, but as temporarily lodged in some part of his mouth. And this seems reasonable enough in the good Bishop. For truly, the Right Whale’s mouth would accommodate a couple of whist-tables, and comfortably seat all the players. Possibly, too, Jonah might have ensconced himself in a hollow tooth; but, on second thoughts, the Right Whale is toothless.

Another reason which Sag-Harbor (he went by that name) urged for his want of faith in this matter of the prophet, was something obscurely in reference to his incarcerated body and the whale’s gastric juices. But this objection likewise falls to the ground, because a German exegetist supposes that Jonah must have taken refuge in the floating body of a dead whale- even as the French soldiers in the Russian campaign turned their dead horses into tents, and crawled into them. Besides, it has been divined by other continental commentators, that when Jonah was thrown overboard from the Joppa ship, he straightway effected his escape to another vessel near by, some vessel with a whale for a figure-head; and, I would add, possibly called “The Whale,” as some craft are nowadays christened the “Shark,” the “Gull,” the “Eagle.” Nor have there been wanting learned exegetists who have opined that the whale mentioned in the book of Jonah merely meant a life-preserver- an inflated bag of wind- which the endangered prophet swam to, and so was saved from a watery doom. Poor Sag-Harbor, therefore, seems worsted all round. But he had still another reason for his want of faith. It was this, if I remember right: Jonah was swallowed by the whale in the Mediterranean Sea, and after three days’ he was vomited up somewhere within three days’ journey of Nineveh, a city on the Tigris, very much more than three days’ journey across from the nearest point of the Mediterranean coast. How is that?

But was there no other way for the whale to land the prophet within that short distance of Nineveh? Yes. He might have carried him round by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. But not to speak of the passage through the whole length of the Mediterranean, and another passage up the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, such a supposition would involve the complete circumnavigation of all Africa in three days, not to speak of the Tigris waters, near the site of Nineveh, being too shallow for any whale to swim in. Besides, this idea of Jonah’s weathering the Cape of Good Hope at so early a day would wrest the honor of the discovery of that great headland from Bartholomew Diaz, its reputed discoverer, and so make modern history a liar.

But all these foolish arguments of old Sag-Harbor only evinced his foolish pride of reason- a thing still more reprehensible in him, seeing that he had but little learning except what he had picked up from the sun and the sea. I say it only shows his foolish, impious pride, and abominable, devilish rebellion against the reverend clergy. For by a Portuguese Catholic priest, this very idea of Jonah’s going to Nineveh via the Cape of Good Hope was advanced as a signal magnification of the general miracle. And so it was. Besides, to this day, the highly enlightened Turks devoutly believe in the historical story of Jonah. And some three centuries ago, an English traveller in old Harris’s Voyages, speaks of a Turkish Mosque built in honor of Jonah, in which Mosque was a miraculous lamp that burnt without any oil.

Now answer the following 3 questions based on your reading.  Use a separate piece of paper and make sure your answers (and sentences) are complete! I also encourage you to tackle the extra credit question:

1.  According to the narrator in Moby Dick, what explanations might account for Jonah’s ability to survive being swallowed by a big fish?  What other possible explanations of the story does the narrator offer?

2.  What other difficulty with this part of the story does the author raise?  How does he resolve it?

3.  How would you explain Jonah being swallowed by the big fish?  Do you think it happened literally – why or why not?  How do you think the rabbis explained this part of the story?

EXTRA CREDIT QUESTION:

4. If we find it difficult to believe a particular story in the TaNaKh, based on what we know about science, how should we treat that narrative?  Must Jews believe the literal truth of every biblical narrative?  Can something be true even if it couldn’t have happened?  Should we dismiss a story’s value if it seems improbable?  Explain your answer!

What does midrash have to say?

At the creation of the world God made a fish intended to harbor Jonah.  It was so large that the prophet was as comfortable inside as in a spacious synagogue.  The eyes of the fish served Jonah as windows, and, besides, there was a diamond, which shone as brilliantly as the sun at midday, so that Jonah could see all things in the sea down to its very bottom.

Three days Jonah had spent in the belly of the fish, and he still felt so comfortable that he did not think of imploring God to change his condition.  God then sent a female fish, filled with 365,000 little fish, so it came about that Jonah was transferred to another abode.  His new quarters, which he had to share with all the little fish, were far from comfortable, and from the bottom of his heart he offered a prayer for deliverance.  The last words of his long petition were, “I shall redeem my vow,” whereupon God commanded the fish to spit Jonah out.

–Midrash Yonah

Where did the midrash come up with a second fish?  Look VERY carefully at the beginning of chapter 2 for your clue!

DUE IN CLASS ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19th

Have you ever been confronted by a situation of fear or anxiety?  If you had been swallowed alive by a great fish and had to express yourself to God, what would you write?  Using our discussion of Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2, include in your creative effort some of the elements missing from the actual text of the prophet’s words found in sefer Yonah.

Your submission should be no shorter than a half page.  Creativity and style count for extra credit!

based primarily on Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 10

 Though identified as the guilty party through the lottery, the sailors first tried to save the vessel by throwing the cargo overboard and rowing as hard as possible toward the shore.  Their efforts were in vain.  Then they placed Jonah at the side of the boat and said, “O Lord of the world, do not reckon our act as the shedding of innocent blood, for we know not what he has done [against You] and he himself has told us to throw him overboard.”  They were still reluctant to do Jonah’s bidding.  They lowered him into the water up to his knees and the storm ceased; yet when they pulled him back in, the storm commenced its fury once more.  Once again they returned him to the water, and when it reached his navel the waters became calm.  Yet again they pulled him back into the boat, whereupon the storm returned.  They lowered him a third time, and when the water reached Jonah’s neck, the storm ceased.  The sailors pulled him up once more, and the storm returned.  It was only then [when they saw they had no choice] that they completely cast Jonah into the sea.

 The sailors, who witnessed all these wonders and signs that God had performed, immediately stood up and threw their idols into the water, as Scripture states, “They who cling to empty folly, forsake their own welfare” (Jonah 2:9).  They returned to [the port of] Joppa and went up to Jerusalem and circumcised themselves, as it states, “The men feared the Lord greatly; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows” (Jonah 1:16).  Scripture says they brought a thanks-giving offering – is it not known that idolaters may not bring such an offering?  Rather, their offering was the blood of circumcision which was treated as the equivalent of a thanksgiving offering.  They vowed to bring their wives and households to revere the Lord and therefore became righteous converts.  It is also said that they vowed to give charity to the poor.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT DUE IN CLASS ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 22nd!

• Psalm 16:5
• Proverbs 1:14
• Jeremiah 13:25

5.   In modern Hebrew goral means “fate” or “destiny”.  In your opinion, is fate something governed by chance, by our actions, or both?  Explain your answer!!

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING THESE MIDRASHIM AND THE FACT THAT THESE STORIES DON’T APPEAR IN THE TANAKH STORY OF JONAH: 

There are some who say that Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephat; having succumbed to a terrible illness, the boy was believed dead — until he was revived by Elijah the prophet (I Kings 17:17-24). 1 When Jonah grew up he became a disciple of Elisha, and was sent to inform Jehu that he would be annointed as ruler of Ephraim, the northern kingdom of Israelites.2

Elisha then sent Jonah to preach to Jerusalem’s inhabitants, proclaiming their destruction. The doom did not come to pass, however, because they repented of their evil ways, and God had mercy on them. As a result of this episode, Jonah was mocked by his kinsmen and was known as a “false prophet”. When God directed him to go to Nineveh to prophesy the city’s downfall, he said to himself: “I am certain that these heathen will do penance, and once again God will have mercy on them. Among these idolators I shall also gain the reputation of being called a false prophet!”3 To escape this disgrace, he determined to go to sea where he could not be compelled to preach to the Ninevites.

Others suggest that Jonah was motivated by a desire to preserve Israel’s honor. “I know that Israel in its stubbornness has never repented despite having heard from God’s greatest prophets,” he thought to himself, “whereas these heathens will repent once they have heard the Divine word. Far be it from me to arouse God’s anger against Israel for being stiffnecked, especially when compared to the virtue of an idolatrous people!.” He decided, therefore, to flee being God’s instrument of salvation for the Ninevites.4

When Jonah arrived in Yafo there was ship in port. To try him, God caused a storm to arise, and it carried a vessel back to the harbor. The prophet interpreted this as a sign of heaven that God approved his plan. He was so eager at the opportunity to leave land that he paid the captain for the full sum of cargo and passengers, though it was not yet fully loaded with either.5

1. Jerusalem Talmud, Sukkah 55a
2. Bereshit Rabbah 21:5
3. Tanhuma Vayikra 8
4. Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 30b
5. Rashi to Jonah 1:3